Installing The Towing Eye; Towing And Tow-Starting; Important Safety Notes; Towing Away - Mercedes-Benz SLK350 Operator's Manual

Towing and tow-starting

Important safety notes

G WARNING
If you tow the vehicle, you must use a rigid
towing bar if:
the engine is not running.
R
there is a brake system malfunction.
R
there is a malfunction in the power supply
R
or the vehicle's electrical system.
The power assistance for the steering and the
brake force booster do not work when the
engine is not running. You will need more
force to steer and brake, you may have to
depress the brake pedal with maximum force.
Before towing away, make sure that the
steering can be moved and is not locked.
If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum
permissible gross vehicle weight of your
vehicle.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
! The vehicle can be towed a maximum of
30 miles (50km). The towing speed of
30 mph (50 km/h) must not be exceeded.
If the vehicle has to be towed more than
30 miles (50km), the entire vehicle must be
raised and transported.
! Make sure that the electric parking brake
is released. If the electric parking brake is
faulty, visit a qualified specialist workshop.
! Only secure the tow rope or tow bar at the
towing eyes. Otherwise, the vehicle could
be damaged.
! Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
as this could damage the vehicle. If in
doubt, recover the vehicle with a crane.
! Drive slowly and smoothly when towing.
Excessive tractive power could otherwise
damage the vehicles.
Towing and tow-starting
! Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
This could damage the vehicle.
! On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the
SmartKey instead of the Start/Stop
button. Turn the SmartKey to position 2 in
the ignition lock and shift the automatic
transmission to N. Then, turn the SmartKey
back to 0 and leave it in the ignition lock.
When towing a vehicle with an automatic
transmission, the transmission must be in
position N.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
cannot turn the SmartKey to position 2 in
R
the ignition lock
cannot shift the transmission to position
R
N on vehicles with automatic transmission
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
release the selector lever lock manually to
move it out of position P(
i
Switch off the automatic locking feature
( page 75) You could otherwise be locked
Y
out when pushing or towing the vehicle.
Installing/removing the towing eye

Installing the towing eye

Remove the towing eye from the vehicle
X
tool kit ( page 274).
Y
G WARNING
The exhaust tail pipe may be hot. You could
burn yourself if you touch the tail pipe. Be
particularly careful when removing the rear
cover.
The mountings for the removable towing eyes
are located in the bumpers. They are at the
front and at the rear, under the covers.
287
page 146).
Y
Z